This section has photos of all of my luge boards to date. I must say, unlike most riders, I HATE BUILDING BOARDS. It doesn't help that I 'm not very good at it and it takes me forever to complete one. I finally paid someone to build a board when they made me get a metal one. Don't get me wrong here, I like designing my boards, I just don't like making them.

This section of the site was not designed to teach anyone how to build a board. There are many sources for building boards and everyone needs to decide what style works best for them.

My early boards were made out of wood. They were easy to build and cheap (my first one cost less than $200). After several races on the wood boards, the team Sportin' Wood was formed. All my FIGR and EDI races prior to the 1997 X Games were on wooden boards. This includes at least 3 podium finishes. The wood board was used in Hot Heels in 1999 and Red Bull San Francisco in 1998.

In 1997 I was invited to ESPN's X Games but they did not allow wood at the time. This forced me to get a new board. I designed and had "Bullet Board" build my 1st non wood board. This board served me well (well enough to earn a bronze metal in the 1998 X Games dual event) but needed some repairs by friends throughout the next 2 years.
The 1997 metal board had a removable front end for simplified traveling but was still a pain to carry on the plane (It was over-sized so airlines usually charged me an extra $75 to check it). That and my desire to have a better cornering board prompted me to order a famous "Rogers Brothers" board. This thing is awesome. Handles like a dream. It also travels well because of the break down size and cool carrying case.

Sportin'

Wood

Built 1994 - 1996

My first board was the "Skull" board.

This is a schematic of the "SKULL" board. Its body is all 3/4" plywood and
is based on Darren's 1st "Carpet Board" design. I added a 2nd piece of plywood
between the trucks to adjust to just the right amount of board flex.

These are the first two boards that I built. The
"Skull" board is a copy of the "Carpet Board" that I first road in 1993. The "Carpet
Board" had thick shag carpeting for padding.

In the winter of 1995, I decided to design and build
a different board. It was built in a couple of NJ garages (my brother's
and colleague Bob Sanyshyn's) and was probably one of the first boards to actually
go down a hill in NJ (Vernon). I was tempted to clean up the picture of
this board but one of the things I liked about it most was the fact that after
a short time, it looked like crap. Kept beating people too. If you look
close you can see that it's not even straight! The flex and short wheelbase made
for a fast ride on twisty roads.

In early 1998 I decided to go back to the 2 x 4 board.
I road it at Red Bull in S.F. (I needed the built in shock absorption of wood)
and again at the 1999 European championship in Austria (Hot Heels).

This is a schematic of the board I road up until the 1997
and 1998 X Games. The body is made of pressure treated 2 x 4's and 3/4"
plywood. The head rest and bumpers are pipe insulation and duct tape.
The handles are also 2 x 4's rounded on the end and with a groove in the top front
edge for my fingers.

I rode this board at the Red Bull event in San Francisco in
November of 1998 and again at the 1999 European championship in Austria (Hot Heels).

This is the latest wood board that I am in the process of finishing.
I've been working on this one for over a year now. Just let me ride, this
building crap is not for me.

Unfortunately I have the worst nickname luck on the planet. This board has
been dubbed the "Croissant" board because of the layers of wood. I got stuck
with "Silent But Deadly" at the 1998 X Games (Thanks to Lugenstein and ESPN!)

Built 1997

This is a schematic of the board I road at the 1997
and 1998 X Games. ESPN would not let us use wood boards in the 1997 X Games
so I had to get a metal one. The elements of the board pictured above were
borrowed from several different riders with the fender integration being my only
unique idea.

Built 2000

My newest board was made by Dave Rogers. I had it painted in my colors and
splurged for the carrying case (the board brakes apart into 3 pieces). 1st
ridden at Hot Heels 2000 to a 5th place finish.

Another angle.

Street Luge Survival Guide
and
other Construction Resources on the web.

The Book...

The easiest way to learn how to build
a luge board (as well has how to pick wheels and bearings and how to ride and
how to be safe and...you get the idea) is to get a copy of the
by Darren Lott.

I assume no responsibility for any personal injury or property
damage resulting from the information contained within these pages. This
information is not intended as a guide to building a luge or a recommendation
on how you should construct your luge. Always wear proper safety gear and
ride within your limits.